Burial-vault.



PATBNTED AUG. '7, 1906.

H. C. DECK.

BURIAL VAULT. APPLICATION FILED DEU. 7. 1905.

Suva-wko@ UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIO.

HARRY O. DECK, OF ROODHOUSE, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR' OF ONE-HALF v TO ELBER'I H. TODD, OF ROODHOUSE, ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. '7, 1906.

To a/ZZ whom t ntcty concern:

Be it known that I, HARRY O. DECK, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roodhouse, in the county of Greene and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Burial-Vaults; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.,

My invention is an improved indestructible air and water tight and vermin-proof burial-vault made of vitrified clay or glass, which is indestructible by the elements, as hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is partly a side elevation and partly a longitudinal sectional view of a burial-vault embodying my improvements, and Fig. 2- is a transverse sectional view of the same.

My improved burial-vault comprises a body 1 and a cover 2. Each is made integral, either of clay or of glass, and is suitably molded or otherwise formed. Where the vault and the cover are made of clay, the same is glazed or vitrified on the outer and inner sides, or on the outer side only, as may be preferred. The body 1 is of a suitable size and shape to receive a casket or coffin and is formed with transverse ribs 3 on the bottom 4, on which ribs the coffin or casket rests. On the inner side of the side walls of the body 1, at the ends thereof, are anges 5, of suitable length. The body is formed at the base and top with flanges 7, which extend around the same and strengthen the construction thereof, andv in the upper side of the body is a rabbet or groove 8, which eX- tends around the same. The inner wall 9 of the, said groove or rabbet is higher than the outer wall 10 thereof, for a purpose hereinafter explained. The flanges 5 in the side walls of the body are for engagement by the ends of bars 11 of slings 12, which are employed to lower the body of the vault into the grave. It will be understood that when the body of the vault has been thus lowered the slings may be readily disengaged therefrom by simply drawing them toward the center of the body, so as to clear the bars of the slings from the said flanges 5.

The top 2 may be made of glass or of clay, as hereinbefore stated, to correspond with the body of the vault. The said top is semicylindrical in cross-section, so that the same is of maximum strength, and is provided at its lower edge with a depending flange 13 to enter the groove or rabbet 8. Before the cover is placed on the body the said groove or rabbet will be filled or partly Jlled with mixed cement of the proper consistency, so that when the cover is placed thereon the cement will form an air-tight and water-tight seal between the body and the cover. The top or cover is formed on its upper side with a centrally-disposed longitudinal rib 14which greatly strengthens the construction thereof and which is provided near its ends with transverse openings 15, through which bars or hooks may be passed to enable the cover to be readily carried and to also facilitate the lowering of the same onto the body.

My improved burial-vault is to be used in lieu of the outer casket or ordinary pine box which is commonly employed in the bottom of a grave and is, owing to the fact that it is composed wholly of either clay or glass, incapable of decay and is indestructible by the action of the elements. Owing to the fact that the cover is sealed to the body and to the fact that the cover and body are both made each of a single piece of material, so that there are no joints whatever therein, the vault is air, water, and gas tight. The cover is of such shape as to cause the same to readily shed water which may seep thereto through the ground. Owing to the fact that the inner flange or side 9 on the inner, side of the joint between the cover and the body is higher than the outer side of iiange 10 water, even if it should possibly succeed in getting into the joint, would pass over the lower outer flange l0 and would be prevented by the inner higher flange 9 from entering thevault.

Since nothing can either enter or escape from the vault, it will be understood that the same is highly sanitary and will prevent the pollution of water and other injurious results from the burying of persons in the ground.

Having thus described my invention, what my hand in presence of two subscribing wit- I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letnesses. ters Patent, s-

A burial-vault having d body provided n HARRY C- DECK' 5 With inwardly-extending flanges 5, for the Witnesses:

purpose set forth W. L. KINCAID,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set SAMUEL T. KING 

